Removable bridge for teeth



July 15,v 1924. 1,501,539

H. A. GOLLOEIN REMOVABLE BRIDGE FOR TEETH Filed June 16. 1922 12M fyfg lll/lli Patented .iuly 15, 1924.

stares HARRY A. GOL-LOBN, 0F NEW YORK, Y.

REMOVABLE BRIDGE FOR TEETH.

Application ined .rune 16, 1922.Y serial No. 568,751.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be vit known that I, HARRY A.' GoLLoBiN,

a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Bronx, in the city and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Removable Bridges for Teeth, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to certa-in improvements in bridges for teeth and has more particularly for its object to provide novel means for attaching removable bridges to abutments in the mouth in such a manner that the bridges will be held very rigidly by frictional engagement with the said abutments.

This invention furthermore relates to certain improvements in the construction, form and co-relation of the frictional coacting bridge and abutment members of the attachment for removably securing the bridge in the mouth.

Practical embodiments of my invention are represented in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 represents in plan the removable bridge located in proper position in the mouth. l

' Fig. 2 represents a detail section on line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 represents a plan of the first form of abutment member'. n

Fig. 4 represents a section on line IV-IV of Fig. 3. p

Fig. 5 represents a plan of the corresponding bridge member.

Figs. 6, 7 yand 8 represent sections on lines VI-VI, VII-VII, and VIII- VIII respectively of Fig. 5.

Fig. 9 representsa plan of a second form of abutment member.

r`Fig. 10 represents a section on line X-X of 9.

Figj11 represents a'plan of the corresponding bridge member.

the

Figs. 12, 13 and 14C represent sections onV lines XII-XII, XIII- XIII and XIV- XIV of Fig. 11.

Fig. -represents a plan of a third form offabutment member.

` Fig. 16 represents a section on .line XVI-XVI of Fig. 15. f Y

Fig. 17 represents a plan of the correjlspondingbridge member.

Figs. 18, 19 and 20 represent sections onl lines XVIII-XVIIL XIX-XIX andy XX-XX of Fig. 17.

Fig. 21 represents a plan of a fourth form of abutment member.

Fig. 22 represents a section on line XXIIXXII of Fig. 21.

Fig. 23 represents a plan 0f the corre.- sponding bridge member.

Figs. 241, 25 and 26 represent sections on lines XXIV-XXIV, XXV-XXV and XXVI-XXVI of Fig. 23.

Fig. 27 represents a plan of a ifth forni of abutment member.

Fig. 28 represents a section on line XXVIII-XXVIII of Fig. '27.

Fig. 29 represents a toprplan view of the corresponding bridge member.

Figs. 30, 31 and 32 represent sections on lines XXX-QX, XXXI-XXXI and XXXII-XXXII ofvFigy29. g

rIhe portion of the mouth lrepresented in the drawing is denoted by 1 and the teeth which form the abutments for the bridge are denoted by 2 and 3. The bridge of teeth for filling the space between the abutment teeth is denoted' by 1. v

In the present instance I have shown like means for removably attaching both ends ofthe bridge to the abutment teeth. In all the forms illustrated, the shank 5 of the bridge member is of the desired height, length and thickness and it is' provided with a T-head 6. The separate L-shaped spring has its horizontal branch 8 permanently united to the bridge member along the bottom of the shank 5 and head 6,`the free vertical branch 9`of whichv spring extends along the outer face of the head from bottom to top thereof, the said free vertical branch being slightly separatedA from the headto permit the spring to be forced toward the head when the bridge member is inserted into the corresponding recess in the abutment member to be hereinafter described. In the first form of attachment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive, the heady 6 has its projecting sides rounded from top to bottom as shown at 7, 7. In thisformk also both the horizontal and vertical branches of" the 'spring are triangular in cross section and the bottom of the shank andKA head is provided with a groove 1.0 for receiving the' bottom branch ofthe springend the outer' yface Vthe headof the bridge of the head is provided with a groove 11, forming a seat for the free vertical branch of thefspring when the said vertical branch is forced inwardly against the head by the insertion of the head into the recess'in the abutment member.

In the Aform under discussion. the abutment member comprises a vertical back wall 12, curved side walls 13,13 terminating in straight side walls 1&1, 14; and a bottom wall lforming a recess shaped to snugly fit the head of t-he bridge member.

In the form of attachment as shown in Figs. 9 to 14 inclusive, the bottom and verri-- cal branches of the -shaped spring are substantially rectangular in cross section, the free vertical branch ofthe spring extending across the entire outer face of the head of the bridge member, the front side corners of the vertical branch of the spring being rounded to form continuations of the curved sides of the T-head when the springis forced rearwardly into engagement 'with the outer face of the head. In this form there are no grooves. provided along the bottom of the outer face of the bridge member for receiving the spring,the bottom horizontal branch of the spring being permanently united to the bottom of the shank and head; only the portions of the projecting sides of the head which extendy beyond the corresponding sides of the spring being extended downwardly a short distance, as shown at 17, 17, the portions being iush with the bottom in the horizontal branch of the spring. In the form under discussion, the abutment member has its recess shaped to snugly fit to the head of the bridge member.

In the form of attachment as illustrated in Figs.v 15 to 20 inclusive, the projecting sides of the head of the bridge member are provided with curved outer edges 18, 18 and sharp inner edges 19, 19, extending from top to bottom thereof. In this form the inner Walls of the -horizontal and verti cal branches of the spring are convex and the grooves along the bottom and outer face of the bridge member are concave to correspend therewith. In the form under dis- 4cussionatheabutment member has its recess shaped to correspond With the head of the bridge member. n

the form of attachmentillustrated in Figs. 21 to 26 inclusive, the projecting sides of the head of the bridge member are shown as having square corners 20, 2O and 21, 21 alongfitsfrontandback edges from top to ,bottomthereof, theinner walls of the horizontal and vertical branches of the spring being shaped in vthis form substantially like the form lshown in Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive.

Inthe form under discussion, the abutment member has :its recess shaped to snugly tit to member.y j

In the form illustrated in Figs. 27 to 32 inclusive the projecting sides of the head of the bridge member have square corners 22, 22 and 23, 23 along its front and back edges from top to bottom thereof as in the preceding form just described, but in this last form the horizontal and vertical branches of the spring are rectangular in cross section and the outer face of the head is provided with a rectangular groove :7A for receiving the free vertical branch of the spring.

In the form under discussion, the abutment member has its recess shaped to correspond with the head of the bridge member.

Inlays for securing the abutment members to their respective teeth are denoted by 25., the shape and size ofthe abutment members. being such that the vital port-ion of live teeth when used as abutment teeth may be saved in the cutting of the teeth to properly secure the abutment members in position.

It will be understood that the embodiments illustrated are only a few of the numerous forms in which the bridge and abutment members could be made to suit various requirements but in all of these forms the head of the bridge member is not weakened by kerfs as heretofore, the frictional grip between the bridgel and abutment members in the present improvement being provided for by a separate spring permanently united to the bridge member. This arrangement permits the head member and spring to be made of dierent metals, thus allowing the head member to be made of a hard, strong and rigid metal and the spring to be made of a 100 spring metal, thereby adding great strength to the attachment.

Furthermore, it will be seen that the head may be made of any desired width and the spring may be made of any desired y idth, 105 thus rendering the attachment applicawfe for many different conditions. The provisions of a separate spring also enables the free vertical branch of the spring to be adjustable to the minutest degree, to obtain the re- 110 quired frictional engagement between the bridge and the abutment members. The provision of a bottom Wall for the abutment member also provides a better and more rigid support for the bridge member. It 1.15 will also be observed that all strain is removed from the spring, the strain being taken by the head of the bridge member, which `has not been weakened by dividin the same to form friction surfaces as here- 120 tofore commonly done.

IVhat I claim is: i

l. A removable bridge attachment including coasting bridge and abutment members, the bridge member comprising a head 125 and shank, and a separate friction spring having a horizontal branch permanently united to the bottom ofthe brid e member and a free vertical branch exten ing along the outer face kof the head of the bridge 120 member, the head having a groove along-its outer face for permitting the free vertical bran-ch of the spring to be forced thereinto.

2. A removable bridge attachment including bridge and abutment members, the bridge member comprising a head and shank, and a separate friction spring having horizontal and vertical branches, the' bottom of the bridge member havingagroove for receiving and permanently holding the horizontal branch of the spring, the free vertical branch Vof the spring extending along the outer face of the head of the bridge member. e

3. A removable bridge attachment including bridge and abutment members, the bridge member comprising a head and shank, and a separate friction spring having horizontal and vertical branches, the bottom of the bridge member having a groove for receiving and permanently holding the horizontal branch of the spring and the outer' face of the head having a groove for permitting the free vertical branch of the spring to be forced thereinto.

4. A removable bridge attachment including coacting bridge and abutment members, the bridge member having a T-head, and a Separate friction spring having a horizontal branch permanently united to the bottom of the bridge member and a free vertical branch extending along ythe outer face of the head of the bridge member.

5. A removable bridge attachment including coacting bridge and abutment members, the bridge member having a T-head, and a separate friction spring having a horizontal branch permanently united to the bottom of the bridge member and a free vertical branch extending along the outer face of the head of the bridge member, the head having a groove"` along its outer face for permitting the free portion of said spring to be forced thereinto.

6. A removable bridge attachment including coacting bridge and abutment members, the bridge member having a T-head, and a separate L-shaped friction spring, the bottom of the bridge member having a groove for receiving and permanently holding the horizontal branch of the spring, the free vertical branch of the spring extending along the outer face of the head .of the bridge member.

7. A removable bridge attachment including coacting bridge and abutment members, the bridge member having a T-head, and a separate L-shaped friction spring, the bottom V'of the bridge lnember having a groove for receiving and permanently holding vthe horizontal branch of the spring, and the outer face of the head having a groove for permitting the free vertical branch of the spring to be forced thereinto.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name this 14th day of June 1922.

HARRY A. GOLLOBIN. 

